Ember (26 page)

I might have spent the walk to the study
trying to sort out some aspects of my buzzing mind. Unfortunately,
my thoughts were kept busy trying to find the correct route.

Though I would have bet money there was a
quicker way back, I grudgingly took the route past the cafeteria,
not stopping to glance around once until I was back in the study.
There I walked over to the couch, plopped down, and told myself to
relax.

It might have worked if I hadn't opened my
eyes to see brilliant, orange, flames on the table ahead of me. I
narrowed my eyes at if for a moment, then stood up and looked
around the room. When I saw a small, tin crate I picked it up and
duly dropped it over the small fire on the table. With that I stood
up straight and crossed my arms proudly.

Wait, it can't get any oxygen like that. . .
. Do magic fires need oxygen?

I chewed nervously on a fingernail for
not
even
two seconds before racing down and lifting a corner to
check beneath. It was fine of course, blazing brightly. I set the
edge back down and rolled my eyes thoroughly at myself.

Okay, Evelyn, change your clothes. Pack
what you need.
Before I did either of these things I ended up
setting a book under one edge of the crate, just in case the no
oxygen thing eventually became a problem.

Now I was left staring at my contraption,
freshly changed, hair clipped back, small pack of overnight
necessities resting beside me. I strummed a finger against my leg a
few times, then the table, then I leaned down to peak under the box
to make sure the flame was alright. Constant as always. I let out a
sigh that flicked it slightly when I heard a knock at the door.

I leaned straight instantly. “Come in,” I
said, clearing my throat.

He did. It was Ikovos, carrying a good-sized
pack and, thank goodness, with no glasses anywhere in sight. He
grinned and I returned the gesture, excitement setting in with the
promise of a relaxing night.

“Did you have any luck with Cornelius?” he
asked.

I shook my head. “No. I had some with
Cornelius, Sophie,
and
Thoran though.”

He winced. “That sounds like fun. . . .”

I waved a carefree hand. “It wasn't so bad .
. . you're definitely right about Sophie by the way.”

He cocked his head. “What about her?”

“You don't remember . . . ?”

He was drawing a blank.

“The first day I got here you told me you
thought she was involved with more than just cooking and cleaning.
. . .”

He nodded. “Oh, yeah, yeah. . . . Wow, you
remembered that?”

I gave him half a smile. “At that point it
wasn't every day I had a non-related boy talking to me about
anything
.”

He leaned to one side. “But now you have them
by the dozens . . . it's a wonder you hear anything I say.”

I shook my head, releasing the coy semblance.
“Don't worry, you sort of stand out.”

We both smiled for a moment then he moved
forward with a skeptical look on his face. “Ah . . . Evelyn?”

“Yes?” I replied pleasantly.

He pointed to his left. “Why is there a crate
over the fire?”

I looked at the table and my eyes widened.
“Oh! Umm . . . it was bright last night, so I just . . . covered it
up.”

“Ah,” he said, pursing his lips. “You should
tell Jaden about that, just ask him to chill out when it gets
dark.”

Faced plainly with the fact that Jaden
directly controlled my daily light source was a little odd. It
wasn't really something I'd considered, and definitely not one I
wanted to now.

“That's alright,” I said, touching a finger
to the box. “This works fine.”

He made one more dubious look at the
contraption then shrugged. “Well, are you ready to get out of here
then?”

I jumped up, brightening immediately. “Most
definitely.”

He adjusted his pack. “And the Master's gave
their all clear, right?”

I nodded, picking my pack up
simultaneously.

As he opened the door for me he shook his
head. “I don't know how you do that.”

I laughed shortly as I walked through the
door ahead of him.

For the rest of the trek out the lodge I
tried to convince him that I really didn't do anything, and they
had just said yes right away, but he wouldn't believe me.

His head went back and forth once again as we
ambled along the path. “You're not going to convince me. There’s
too much about yourself that you don't see.”

I shook my head. On this subject I had little
trouble with certainty. “That's a bold claim for someone who's only
known me for a week.”

He put up a finger. “No, it's just a sign
that you're
really
missing something if someone that's only
been around you a handful of times can see it.”

I narrowed my eyes. His point wasn't very
arguable. But really I was okay with letting it go. I was walking
proof of the truth. You wouldn't need to argue with someone that
was trying to tell you the sky was green, just look up and the
truth of it is evident.

“Whatever, Ikovos,” I sighed.

He stuck out an accusing finger. “Aha.
Gotcha! And you know what else you don't see . . .”
Okay, now
this is a problem. When you let the guy that thinks the sky is
green think he's right, so he decides he can share his other
opinions with you.
“—Why are you always complaining that you're
hair isn't nice?”
Alright. Wasn’t expecting that . . .
“I've
seen people with bad hair, and I've been waiting six days now for
things to take a turn for the worst. But every morning it's looked
fine.”

Surprised as I was by the strange topic, the
flaw in reason was too off to ignore. I scoffed. “You're just being
ridiculous now. Everyone knows I have crazy hair, everyone has
always
said that I have crazy hair.”

Our speed quickened as we continued through a
clearer area.

“Oh, right,” he snorted sarcastically, “those
perfectly sane people in Tiver. I'd trust their opinion.”

I furrowed. “Not just them!”

He eyed me. “Who else then?”

I looked ahead. I'm sure if I had
been
anywhere besides Tiver my entire life I would have been teeming
with examples.

My finger popped up suddenly, and with an
‘aha!’
quality I declared proudly: “Jaded did.”

Ikovos slowed, looking at me curiously. I was
immediately sorry for the mention. “Jaden told you that you had bad
hair?”

I shook my head quickly. “No . . . ,” I hoped
that would be the end of it, from Ikovos’s perplexed face I knew it
wouldn't, “. . . he just said it was crazy. . . .”

I couldn't keep out the tinge of insecurity,
but tried to lighten things with a smile. Ikovos
wasn't
lightening.

“When did he say this to you?”

I waved my hands exaggeratedly, trying to
shake off the whole issue. “It really doesn't matter. Let's talk
about something else.”

He looked ahead, straightening. “Fine . . .
I'll just ask him about it.”

My eyes widened and I stopped completely.
“Ikovos, you can't!”

He just kept walking. I ran up to him with no
plans of recanting.

“It shouldn't surprise me really after the
hand cuffs situation,” he mumbled.

I waved both hands. “Okay, now it's really
time to change the subject.”

He looked over at me with a sweet smirk.
“Fine,” he said, and I sighed with very noticeable relief.

Somehow, because of how open he had been from
the start, I hadn't imagined that Ikovos would get much bolder. He
obviously could, and I wondered at this realization, with both fear
and curiosity, what it would be like to have someone that wasn't
hesitant to talk to you about anything.

I think, then, that a very different feeling
replaced both fear and curiosity.

I looked carefully at the boy walking next to
me. He was gazing ahead, content just to walk in silence . . .
either that or simply bored. I winced at the latter. “Want to play
a game?” I asked him.

He turned around to face me, walking
backwards. “Yeah, but . . . hold that thought because we have to go
through here.” He slowed then, pointing right, and I knew in a
second where we were. It was the place I had first entered the
woods from the Meoden portal, the place I'd first met Ikovos, and
the place Cornelius had fainted.

Despite the nostalgia I couldn't help but
fear the connotations of the spot, there was only one cave
nearby.

“Look,” said Ikovos, who had walked past me
during my perusal, “your bush.” He pointed to a small flowering
shrub near a tree and I laughed at the memory.

“Okay,” I said, “we don't need to notice
that.”

He grinned and started walking around a large
group of high trees. With a last glance about I followed him. Once
I was past the bend my prior suspicions were validated. There,
amidst the trees, surrounded conspicuously by thickened forest, was
the red, lightning-cracked, sphere that led to the Meoden
dimension. A shudder ran up my spine. A reaction that I was glad
Ikovos hadn't seen. He was occupied setting some items out on tiers
of shelves near the portal. Next to this was a tall ladder that led
to a high platform at the top of a tree.

Though I wanted to ask a question that would
clarify where exactly this cave was, I didn't want him to think I
was worried. I walked closer, sliding enough to the right that he
would be somewhat between me and the portal.

“Is this where you were when you saw me and
Cornelius come out?” I asked, gesturing up.

He nodded before sparing it a glance. “Yeah,
that's the spot.”

I bobbed my head as he turned back to his
work. “It must be a nice view.”

He grabbed one last object from the shelves
and stuck it in his bag before standing up. “It is, especially on a
clear night. I've actually slept up there before.”

I eyed him skeptically. It was at least fifty
feet up. “Are you crazy?”

He just smirked. “Maybe you'd think me saner
if I told you it was raining?”

I narrowed my eyes at him then recanted.
“Okay, point taken.”

He smiled again and walked towards the
portal.

I stalled. “Isn't it a little unsafe to have
this portal just sitting out here? I mean it's not that well
hidden.”

He rocked his head. “Well, the plan is to
have someone up in the watch post monitoring it, but . . . we're
running a little short on troops right now. And really, even apart
from that, this section of the forest is already kept clear. The
important part is that the other side is on constant guard,” he
grinned, “which is what we'll be doing tonight.”

I started, my fears officially confirmed. I'm
not the type of person that usually gets this easily spooked, but
the nightmares. . . . I waited for another shiver to take me, but
it didn't come. I studied the boy in front of me, it was hard to
feel
that
afraid knowing that he would be there the entire
time.

With that in mind I smiled. “Who's going it
first, me or you?”

He grinned. “Why don't you go ahead. There's
someone already on the other side, so that way you won't be left
alone.”

I nodded. “Alright.” Then walked closer to
the sphere.

Ikovos waited casually. I was surprised that
by now he hadn't noticed I was nervous, even a normal person would
have suspected. But I guess when you're used to doing something . .
.
he must just think of this the same as walking through a
regular doorway.

I sucked in, tightening my fist, then looked
back. “Just walk through, right?”

He nodded, and for a second I thought I saw
some realization on his face that maybe I wasn't such an adept
portal jumper. I didn't give him the chance to act on it, walking
instantly into the sphere.

The trip was everything I remembered:
confusing, fast, and painful. As I rubbed my head soothingly still
unaware of where I was, a memory of Thoran's voice popped into my
head. Something about the jump through the portal being easier once
you got used to it. I scoffed at the inaccuracy as I opened my
eyes.

It was odd then, to see that I was in the
same type of place that Thoran had said it. In fact it was the
exact
same place. I blinked, then my mind caught up to the
present and I realized that none of this was new information, I had
walked through the portal in the woods with the intention of ending
up in the Meoden cave. With a moan I leaned up on my elbows,
turning my head around. It was definitely familiar, seeing the dark
obsidian either reflecting or absorbing everything around it. . .
.

At this point the whole order, the lodge,
Ikovos,
all of them,
had this set place in my mind. Until
now I didn't realize that I hadn't included the Meoden in it. . . .
They were Meoden fighters after all, so that would have to be
rectified.

In the moments before Ikovos appeared in
front of me, my mind shuffled things into place. I smiled when the
blue eyes turned down to me. He winced, offering me a hand. I took
it.

“I remember that,” he said, pulling me
upright. “Of course I was like ten, but . . .”

I hit his arm playfully, but added somewhat
seriously, “Nice hangout for a kid.”

He shrugged, looking around. “I was mature
for my age.”

I raised an eyebrow, but didn't let him see
it, joining instead in the perusal. Simple enough. Dark cave, two
exits. One of them I had come through before with Thoran and
Cornelius, the other looked like it went up. For the first time I
noticed a glow coming from a cove in the wall across from us. It
was maybe twelve feet up. The color it reflected was too comforting
to be coming from the portal.

“We're going up this way,” said Ikovos, who
was now standing near the unfamiliar exit.

I walked over, staying directly behind
him.